The Hardest Goodbye
by uyay
Summary: Wen Astley is the typical Chinese-American. She can't help it, however, when the untypical things start happening to her. Like waking up in a different country. A year in the past. Taken in by our favorite SPR gang, she finds herself falling for Tall Dark and Handsome Lin Koujo. What will she do when her year is up?
1. Chapter 1

**Bold = foreign language**

_**Bold italics = spirit talking**_

_Underlined italics_**_ = journal_**

**Chapter 1 ~ Tuesday**

She could feel the sun warming up her face as she laid there with her eyes closed. Birds were chirping outside her window. Normally Shi Astley woke up before the sun did. Or at least, that's when she had her daughter, Wen, wake her up. Wen must have let her sleep in today, yesterday had been rough. Shi frowned. _Maybe, but something's still off_. It didn't take her long to realize what. It was quiet, too quiet. Wen was never quiet. She was always humming, or crashing along in the kitchen, or talking to Shi. _Maybe Wen overslept._ That wasn't like the 22 year old, but it wasn't unheard of.

Shi pried open her eyes, blinking away the sleep, and pushed herself into a sitting position. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, shaking with the effort, and slid herself into her wheelchair. Shi wasn't fully immobile but her legs were so weak a walker wasn't enough to support her. So she settled into her chair, missing the feeling of walking, and draped a blanket over her lap. Shi rolled to the door, pushing it open with her body as she rolled, and entered the hallway. While she wasn't completely immobile, her legs were weak enough that a walker wasn't enough support. So missing the feeling of walking, she surrendered herself to the hold of her chair.

She rolled herself forward through her open door and into the hallway. White walls with fruity wallpaper trim greeted her. She passed the bathroom door which was wide open, revealing it was empty. Past the bathroom was an open archway to the family. Past that was the door to the kitchen, and past that her daughter's bedroom door. She was on her way there when the doorbell rang.

She paused for a moment, waiting for her daughter to call out, but Wen never did. Instead Shi called out, "Coming!" and turned around. She rolled through the archway, past the sofa, and to the front door. With some difficulty she opened the wooden door. The UPS man, seeing her wheelchair, got the screen door for her.

"I have a package for," he paused, staring at the name in front of him. "When? Astley."

"Close enough," Shi assured him. "She's asleep right now, but I can take it for her," she offered.

"That will work." He handed her a clipboard. "Just sign here." He pointed at a dotted line and Shi grabbed the pen at the top of the board. She signed, put the pen back, and handed it to the man. _He's kind of cute_, she thought. _Too bad Wen didn't answer. _The man had sharp features with kind brown eyes and brown hair. "Thank you." He interrupted her musings by handing her a small brown box. "Have a nice day."

"You too," Shi murmured softly, distracted by the return address on the parcel. _Why is Wen getting mail from Japan?_

The man held the door open while she wheeled back inside, before shutting both doors for her. Shi rolled inside and detoured through the kitchen - also accessible through the family room - to the hallway, headed towards Wen's room.

"Wen, you have a-" she stopped mid sentence. "Wen?" She had opened the door to find the room empty. Her daughter's bed was a rumpled mess; Wen always made her bed in the morning. _Maybe she had to run to the bathroom_. But turning around Shi saw that the bathroom door was wide open.

Shi felt sick with worry. She rolled back out to the family room, thinking about calling the police. She decided against it. This may have been completely unlike Wen, but the girl hadn't been gone that long. Would the police even consider her missing? Besides, she had a clue right there. She stared down at the package in her lap, and after a moment's hesitation opened it.

Inside the box was a dark brown leather bound journal. A leather cord held it closed. Shi opened it and flipped through the pages until she found the bookmark, a phoenix pendant attached to another bit of leather cord. The page held what Shi assumed to be the last entry.

_April 02, 2019_

_Dear Ma,_

_Is a year long enough to fall in love with someone? I believe it is._

_Koujo took me out to dinner tonight. I knew what he was going to say before he said it and mentally begged he didn't, but he did. He told me he loves me. Oh Ma, I love him so much, more than I've ever loved before. But I knew if I told him that he'd ask me to stay and I would. I can't stay, Ma, I have you to think of. So I told him I don't love him. I broke his heart, Ma, and by doing so I broke mine. But it worked. He loves me enough to not ask me to stay. So tomorrow I will get on a plane back to America. I'll get home, slip into our house while you are sleeping; you'll never know I was gone. I won't even bring this with me, so there'll be no evidence of this last year._

_What is this?_ Shi was thoroughly confused. _Who is Koujo? Stay where? Evidence of this year? _She flipped to the first entry.

_April 06, 2018_

_Dear Ma,_

_You'd never believe me if I told you I started journaling. You know how much I loathe it. You'd be relieved to hear it wasn't my idea. Shibuya and Lin think that writing down what happened Tuesday. Or Wednesday? This whole year off thing is confusing. Anyways, they think writing what happened down might help us figure out what happened._

_I'm not thrilled about it, I don't think journaling will help, but I guess I'm glad for something to do. Lin isn't much for company, he doesn't talk nearly enough, and Shibuya is working. There's got to be away to make some conversation with Lin..._

_But anyways, what happened the day I came here? I guess it started when_

Tuesday night was normal. I tucked my ma into bed and started getting ready for bed at nine. I brushed my teeth and flossed. I changed into my pajamas: a long, black t-shirt that could almost be considered a dress. I climbed into bed, turned out the lights and laid down. This was unusual, I suppose. I'm an insomniac, it takes me ages to fall asleep, but last night I was out the minute my head hit the pillow.

And then something was wrong. I was standing. Maybe I was dreaming. It was pitch dark wherever I was. I tried to reach a hand out, to move, but I was paralyzed. A light flickered on somewhere in front of me, presumably behind the red velvet curtain I could now see I was standing behind. It looked like I was backstage somewhere. I could see the pulleys for the curtain from the corner of my eye.

Suddenly I was moving. Music had started up, a slow and sweet orchestral arrangement. I moved to the edge of the curtain so I was looking out over a tall stage. Or rather, something moved me. The auditorium was empty. I couldn't see the orchestra pit but I had a feeling no one was there. What was going on? I stood on the very tips of my toes, like a ballet dancer. That hurt. A lot. Next thing I knew I was tip toeing onto the stage, my arms in a bow in front of me. I lowered down onto my feet and leaped across the stage. I felt dizzy, but good. I felt free.

A voice spoke in my head. "_**Isn't it lovely?**_"

For some reason this disembodied voice didn't bother me. It almost felt normal. "_Yes, it does,_" I thought. "_It feels amazing._"

"_**I used to feel like this every day. I was a dancer here.**_"

"_What happened?_"

"_**A rival got jealous. She wanted my spot. She hired someone to shoot me.**_"

I felt myself gasp, and my heart went out to her. "_That's awful, I'm sorry._"

"_**It's okay, now I get to dance through you. At least, until you get shot.**_" My eyes widened. Shot? "_**That always happens. Why can't I just dance in peace?**_"

"_If you move on, maybe you can. My aunt was a dancer until she got to sick to dance. She died a few years ago. I'd like to think she's dancing in the after life._"

"_**But what if I can't?**_"

"_You'll never know if you don't try. Wouldn't that be better than reliving this trauma?_" The music was speeding up and I had an eerie feeling it was going to end soon. Would I be shot? Suddenly terror overwhelmed all the good feelings I was getting from dancing.

"_**It would,**_" she admitted. "_**Maybe I will. Thank you.**_"

The music started to close and I heard a loud bang. Things started to move in slow motion. A bright light surrounded me and started to move upwards. In front of me I watched as a brass bullet made its way straight at my heart. The light continued to move upwards. Slowly, slowly. The bullet kept coming. The light started to fade. The bullet was so close now, I could reach out and touch it with the tips of my fingers if I wanted. The light faded completely. The bullet came closer, closer. And then it vanished. Time resumed its normal speed as I collapsed. The stage floor came hard and fast. I landed with a solid thump and an audible, "Ow." There went my dream theory; that genuinely hurt.

Next thing I knew there were footsteps approaching. I heard voices, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. It was like they were speaking a foreign language. Wait, no, they were speaking a foreign language, no 'like' about it. I propped myself up on my elbows and took in the three men approaching me. One was tall, a few years older than me, Chinese. He had long black hair that covered one of his eyes. The eye I could see was grey. Next to him was a short, balding man. Old, Japanese. He had short grey hair and black eyes. Finally there was a boy, medium height with medium length black hair and piercing blue eyes. Also Japanese. He looked oddly familiar.

The boy kept talking, and after a moment I realized he was talking to me. "I'm sorry, I can't understand you." I admitted. "Do you speak English?"

He looked surprised, and the old man looked confused. The boy turned to him and told him something. The man walked off. Turning back to me he replied, "Yes. Lin," he gestured to the tall man, "and I both do. My name is Shibuya Kazuya. And you are?"

I'll admit it took me a minute to remember my own name. "Wen. Astley. Wen Astley," I choked out.

He smirked, internally laughing at me I was sure. "Well, Wen, are you alright? Do you understand what's going on?"

"I think I'm alright but I'll admit I have no idea what's going on right now. What happened?"

"Lin, help her up. We'll get her in one of the chairs in the back."

I wanted to protest, he hadn't answered my question, but the giant of a man reached out a hand and I felt inclined to take it. He was a full head taller than me, so he had to hunch down to bring my arm over his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around my waist, and helped me walk to a chair back behind the stage. At first I thought the help was uncalled for, but I soon realized how sore my legs were. They were shaking with effort by the time we reached the chair. My body was not made for that type of dancing. Any type of dancing, really, if I was being honest.

The old man returned and draped a blanket around me. I snuggled into it, it was soft. Lin murmured something to the man, and he left. Shibuya turned to me. "What just happened was a possession. Maria Fujioka was a ballet dancer here twenty years ago in 1998." That would have been 21 years ago, but I didn't correct him. "She's been haunting this studio since she was shot. We, Lin and I, had taken on this case to help her move on. She's been possessing people until they get shot like she did. She possessed you. And you, somehow, helped her move on. How did you do that?"

"I just talked to her. I don't think she wanted to hurt anyone, she just wanted to dance." He gave a curt nod. "I'm sorry, I don't understand what this has to do with anything. How did I get here? Where is here?"

"That's the thing, none of us know where you came from. We were hoping you could tell us that, but apparently not." I shook my head, confirming what he said. He continued, "You're at the New National Theatre in Tokyo."

If possible I would have done a spit take. "Tokyo? As in Japan?"

He nodded, perplexed. "I would have guessed that you were from America based on your accent, but I assumed you were already in Japan when this happened."

"No. I was very definitely still in my bed in America when this happened."

"We should see what else is different. Can you tell me what day it is?"

"Well in America it's the fourth of April. Or at least it was when I went to bed."

He nodded. "Are you sure? It should have been the third. What year is it?"

"Yes, I'm fairly certain. And it's 2019, of course."

He frowned. "Wen, it's 2018."

Now I was frowning. "That's impossible."

"So is waking up in a different country but here you are."

"Well now what? I can't exactly go home, can I? Shit, what am I going to do?" I felt close to tears. I was tired, and lost, and very, very confused.

He shook his head, perplexed. "No, you can't. And we can't exactly let you go wandering around changing timelines," he drifted off before turning to Lin, talking in what I now assumed to be Japanese. Turning back to me he offered a smirk. "Work for me. I'm the boss of Shibuya Psychic Research, or SPR. We investigate the paranormal. We'll investigate what brought you here, and until we figure out how to get you back you can stay with us. You'll have a roof over your head, food on your plate, and a paycheck."

This was all happening so fast, and I was still so confused, but I couldn't exactly refuse. I was in a foreign country with nowhere to go. His offer was generous, and I knew it. "I can't exactly say no. I appreciate it, thank you."

"You're welcome."

My work started right away. SPR had placed several microphones and cameras around the building. I helped tear them down and load the equipment into the back of the company's black van. We said goodbye to the old man, who thanked us profusely, or at least that's what I assumed he was doing. He kept bowing, anyways. After we finished, we left the theatre.

"What now?" I asked. Lin was driving us lord knows where.

"We need to get you some clothes to start. You can't exactly go around like that."

I looked down at my lap and blushed as I realized I was still in my pajamas. "Yikes. That's probably a good idea," although I felt bad about letting them buy things for me.

We went to a small clothing store. Shibuya sent Lin in with me but stayed in the car under the guise of paperwork. I had a feeling he just didn't want to go clothes shopping. The store was full of different clothes, all cute in a foreign kind of way. I picked out a few skirts and jeans, some shirts, and some shoes and accessories. I walked out wearing fishnet tights under ripped black jeans. I wore a mesh long sleeve shirt layered under a black t-shirt that said, "I am lucky and be happiness." I saw plenty of English fails in the shop and had to get one, I thought they were so funny. I had always wanted combat boots, so it made me happy that my shoes were a black pair. Clothes always made me feel better.

We went to another store for undergarments. Again, Shibuya stayed in the car. Poor Lin was blushing by the time we were done, but then so was I.

Our last stop was at an office building with SPR written in white script on the front door. "So this is it," I muttered under my breath. It was simple, not overwhelming in the slightest, and yet it was. This was where I was going to spend the next year of my life, and no one would know that I wasn't supposed to be there except for the three of them. What was I doing. I felt faint. There was a hand on my shoulder, then. Comforting in a strange sort of way, although I wasn't sure that was the intent. It did distract me, though. The hand belonged to Lin, who then handed me equipment to carry in.

"Welcome to SPR," he said once we were inside. Welcome indeed. The office was quaint, with a large sitting area and a desk setup in the main area. There were four doors and an archway. The archway led to a kitchenette. I was informed that the other doors lead to a supply room, an equipment room - I didn't understand why they needed both - a data room, and Shibuya's office. The desk in the foyer was Lin's.

We brought the equipment into the equipment room, and Shibuya left to his office. He wasn't there very long before there was a knock on the door.

"Lin, did we have any appointments today?" he called.

"No." Lin answered the door anyways as Shibuya left his office.

"Wen, make us some tea, would you?" Shibuya requested.

I scrunched up my nose. I had never been good at making tea, and I told him so. "My tea is barely drinkable."

"Get us some water then," he sighed.

I complied and went to the kitchenette. I dug around a little and found some glasses and a tray. After filling four of the glasses with water from the tap placed them on the tray and brought them out. Everyone was sitting in the main room. Lin and Shibuya took chairs while an older gentleman in a brown suit sat on the sofa across from them.

They were speaking in Japanese. The gentleman seemed very annoyed, and I wondered if my new boss or coworker had said something. They didn't seem perturbed though. I hesitated, then sat on the sofa a ways from the man. They talked and talked while I sipped on my water. Finally the man stood up and walked to the door. Shibuya followed him and let him out, shutting the door behind him.

"That was Nakamura Goro. He is the principal of a nearby school," Shibuya explained. I nodded. "There's an old school building he's in charge of, that's rumored to be haunted. He personally doesn't buy it but the rumors have prevented demolition from happening. There's been many deaths there. He wants us to go and expel any spirits if there are any, or dispel the rumors if there aren't. We go tomorrow."

_**Hey Guys,**_

_**Uyay here, long time no see. What do you think? I love Ghost Hunt and have been wanting to write this for a while now. I'm planning on posting a new chapter every Saturday, maybe more depending on how long the chapter is.**_

_**Love you all,**_

_**Uyay**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Bold = foreign language**

_**Bold italics = spirit talking**_

_Underlined italics_**_ = journal_**

**Chapter 2 ~ Evil Spirits All Over!?**

April 6th, 2018 (cont.)

So that was what happened Wednesday. I had to think about that for a minute. Was it Tuesday or Wednesday? I guess it was both. It's still incredible to think that I've come back in time to a different country, even if it is only by a year. I'm surprising myself with how well I'm taking it, but to be honest I'm not really sure it's really sunk in yet. Even though I've slept multiple times now, and have felt pain, I still keep expecting to wake up. Maybe something happened and I'm in a coma, I don't know.

Anyways, I told Lin writing didn't help me. I guess I didn't really write about what happened Tuesday, just Tuesday night. But as much as I think about it, I can't think of anything out of the ordinary. It just seems more and more normal. Lin didn't say anything, just nodded. This guy could almost be a monk he's so silent.

I guess I could be done writing now, but this silence is killing me and I don't know how to make Lin talk. And, I'll admit, it's nice talking to you even if it's not for real. So maybe I'll keep talking to you through this journal.

What happened after that, then?

When Shibuya finished explaining what Mr. Nakamura wanted, Lin lead us to a slick black car waiting in the back driveway. He got in the driver's seat with Shibuya in the passenger seat. I had the whole backseat to myself. I wondered if I was required to wear a seat belt in the back. Lin answered my question when he looked through the rear view mirror at me and muttered, "Seat belt."

I buckled up and we took off. I took the five minute ride to their apartment, or now our apartment, to admire his car some more. The seats were tan leather, very classy, and mess free. There wasn't even a trash bag, or napkins to blow your nose with. He probably didn't allow eating in his car, or sneezing. I felt bad even breathing in his car with my morning breath.

That reminded me, I didn't get hygiene supplies. I'd have to fix that later. For now, Lin was too focused on the road and Shibuya on his laptop for me to bring it up. I knew I should probably bring it up anyways, but I felt uncomfortable. Maybe I could pretend to forget a while longer.

Those five minutes to the apartment building went by fast. It didn't take us long to find a parking spot and for them to usher me out of the car. I was in awe of the building. I lived in a small town in a simple house my whole life. I had moved once to a college apartment with a friend, single story. That had lasted a year. Then I moved back to the same house to be with my mom. Either way, I had never lived in a building this tall. It stood many stories high, towering over the rural neighborhood it was parked in, and-

Lin handed me a few bags of my close, interrupting my train of thought. Shibuya, empty handed unlike Lin and I, lead us up to the third level. He opened the door of the apartment and we spilled in. Lin had grabbed the majority of the bags, including the one of shoes. I was sure it wasn't light. He put them all down on the floor, and I took it all in.

It was nice, the apartment. It was American styled. Or maybe it wasn't. I wasn't sure what a Japanese styled apartment looked like. The main room, the one the front door opened to, was a decent size. Not to large not to small. There was a dark blue couch that faced the wall right of the door. Facing the sofa were two matching blue chairs, and behind the chairs on the wall was a white fireplace.

Across from the front door was a little alcove that opened up into the kitchen. The counters were a white and black marble and the counters were dark wood, oak maybe. There was a pretty little tile back splash behind the deep black farm sink. The kitchen flowed easily into the dining room - they shared the room - and between the counters and the table chairs was a door.

"That's the bathroom. You might want to use it," Shibuya snarked.

I was confused, and then I realized I was wriggling. I did need to pee, I hadn't all day. "Thanks."

I made my way to the room, and relieved myself on the porcelain throne. Across from the toilet were the washing and drying machines, and on either sides of it were the shower - stand up room only - and the sink where I washed my hands. Above the toilet I noticed a rack for towels to hang.

When I came out of the bathroom, I noticed Lin hauling clothes and other things out of one of two doors behind the sofa. Those must be the bedrooms, but, "What are you doing?" I asked him.

"That will be your room," Shibuya informed me before explaining, "Lin is moving his things to my room. He will sleep on the sofa."

That's ridiculous. "That's really not necessary!" I objected, mostly to Lin. Then I realized I might be coming off as ungrateful. "I mean," I corrected myself, "thank you, but I will happily take the sofa. You both have already done so much for me, it's the least I can do."

I was still watching Lin, so I sensed more than saw Shibuya shake his head. "We insist."

I didn't hear Lin insisting, but maybe that's what his continuing to move out of the room meant. The poor man probably wouldn't even fit on the sofa he was so tall. I let it go even though I already felt the guilt settling in. I didn't want to be rude, and their hospitality was a blessing. So instead of refusing I found myself saying, "Thank you, Lin."

He looked up at me and nodded. I had a feeling that was the best I was ever going to get from him.

I moved to the kitchen and opened the fridge and freezer. This was my home now too, right? It still felt a little wrong but I pressed on, searching for food. It was already 7 at night, and as far as I knew none of us had eaten.

"What are you doing?" Shibuya asked, and I flinched.

"I was going to offer to make everyone dinner, but all you have in here are frozen meals." I frowned, rifling through the few frozen dinners they had in the freezer. I went to ask something, but hesitated. Lin didn't seem to be the greatest company. He also seemed to follow Shibuya's orders, and I knew Shibuya would object. I decided to make my request anyways. "Lin, will you take me shopping? I need something to work with if I'm going to cook."

Lin nodded. Shibuya squinted and started to say something, but I ignored him and - to my surprise - so did Lin.

The ride to the store was silent except for the hum of Lin's car. I took advantage of the quiet to make a mental list of all I needed for dinner. I wanted to make Mapo Tofu, one of my ma's favorite dishes and a classic Chinese dish Lin might appreciate. Consider it a thank you for his room. For the dish I needed fresh tofu, soy sauce, minced beef, and green onions. What else? Salt, starch, vegetable oil, and bean paste. Oh! And chili powder.

On a different note, I needed shower and basic hygiene supplies. I needed shampoo and conditioner, body wash, a hair brush, deodorant, and a toothbrush. I assumed they had tooth paste already.

The store we arrived at reminded me a little bit of Walmart. I grabbed a basket, and turned to Lin. "I'm going to the beauty supplies first, I need soap and the like." He nodded, and lead me to the section I needed. He was patient as I searched through the different care items they had, which was a lot. I saw one product with horse oil, and shuddered on the inside. Horses are friends, not food. Or in this case, not beauty care. I ended up grabbing a set of shampoo, conditioner, and body soap in pretty pink bottles. They smelled like cherry blossoms, and luckily were labeled in English to save me any future confusion. I also grabbed a brush, a purple loofah, and a purple toothbrush.

I looked at Lin, and he lead me to the grocery section. By the time I had grabbed the beef, tofu, and bean paste I think he knew what I was making. I was pretty sure I even caught a brief smile on his face, which pleased me.

We checked out, and once again I felt guilt that Lin and Shibuya had to pay for me. I couldn't wait to get paid so I could buy my own things. Lin picked up the bags when we were done, and led me to the car. This flustered me, he didn't need to carry the bags. I supposed it was nice of him to, anyways.

The ride back home was as silent as the ride there, except for the addition of my stomach growling. I blushed. It didn't take us long to get home, the time seemed to fly. Again, Lin took the bags and led me upstairs to our apartment. Our apartment. That thought still seemed strange.

Once inside, I immediately started making dinner. I diced the tofu into medium sized cubes and placed them in hot water before cutting the green onion into small pieces and mixing the starch with water. I fried the meat in the oil, and then added the salt, soy sauce, chili powder and bean paste. I cooked it for a bit on medium heat before adding the green onions and starchy water.

By the time the dish was done, I think everyone was starving. It smelled amazing, making my mouth water. Lin was kind enough to set the table while I was cooking, using beautiful blue and black plates with bamboo chopsticks. I brought the food out to the table, sat down, and served everyone. While we ate, I tried to make conversation. Shibuya was the obvious choice of target, as Lin was so quiet. "How old are you, Shibuya?"

"Why does it matter?"

"You seem pretty young to have a business, is all." I was quick to add, "Not that that's a bad thing. I actually find it quite admirable."

He humphed, and I didn't think he was going to answer. It was several minutes before he mumbled, "16." I nodded and let it go, figuring it was a sore subject for him.

After dinner, Lin helped put the dishes away as I washed and dried them. I paid as much attention to where he put them as I could, trying to remember for future reference.

Suddenly a deep voice spoke up. "Thank you for dinner, Astley." It was Lin. I liked his voice, but was shocked to hear it speaking to me. I shook it off though, and corrected him.

"Wen. Call me Wen."

He nodded, but didn't say anything more.

Shibuya woke me up at 7 the next morning, shouting at me through the door to get up, that we left in half an hour. I was still exhausted - I was pretty sure I hadn't slept Tuesday night, and I'd had trouble sleeping the last night.

Everyone was already set to leave, and I couldn't help thinking that Shibuya had done this on purpose - kindly letting me sleep as late as I could, and leaving the facilities open for me. I took advantage of the bathroom being open, and too a quick shower. It was hard to make it brief, the hot water felt so good against my skin as I felt the grime and tension of the last day wash down the drain. When I was done, I decided to dress more professionally as I wasn't who we would see today. I slipped into a black pencil skirt, a blue button down, and matching blue short heels. Hopefully soon I would have a reason to grab a purse, too, but right then I had nothing to carry.

I was barely ready in time to leave at 7:30, I'd have to work on that. Lin looked dapper in a suit, and Shibuya wore a black long sleeve button down and black slacks. I decided dressing more professionally was the right idea, and Shibuya seemed to agree as he gave me an approving nod. Besides his acknowledgement, both males looked stoic. They stayed that way as Lin drove us to the office, and as we loaded up the van with our equipment.

As we loaded the van, I grabbed a heavier box. While it wasn't with ease, I was more than capable of packing it in the van. Lin, though, saw my slight strain and took it from me. "I can get it," I told him. I hated when people stopped me from doing things because I was female or because they thought I was weak.

Lin just looked at me, though, and carried on as though I had said nothing. Every time I grabbed one of the heavier boxes he took it from me. In the end I gave up, and only grabbed the lighter boxes.

We left for the old school building at 8:00. It took half an hour to get there - not to far away but far enough for me to question Shibuya's definition of nearby. It was in a small rural town, nice and quiet although that may have had to do with the time. The sidewalks were lined with sakura trees, which left pretty pink petals littering the pavement.

I admired them, it wasn't something I saw back in Michigan. But then, we had our own pretty things to litter our sidewalks, like in fall when the trees shed their leaves. I loved walking on the fallen leaves and hearing their satisfying crunch underneath me. The thought made me happy yet homesick at the same time.

I let the cherry blossoms' sent bring me back from my thoughts, and I took in the old school house. It was a tall, rickety building made from wood. It looked tall, two stories, and expansive and ready to collapse at any moment.

"Are you sure it's safe to be in there?" I raised my concerns.

"Scared of ghosts? I'm surprised, you handled the last one quite well."

I rolled my eyes at Shibuya. "More scared of the structural integrity." I paused, taking in the feeling the school gave me, before adding, "It doesn't feel haunted." And it didn't. Old and creepy as it was, it didn't feel like that ghost did yesterday. The building felt harmless except for its readiness to come down any moment.

"We'll look into it," Shibuya commented on my observation, "but I agree. It isn't likely that this place is haunted."

With that, I helped Lin and Shibuya bring all of the equipment into the building. I avoided the heavier boxes, and every time I grabbed one on accident Lin took it from me. We entered the building, and I cringed. The whole building seemed to shake with every step, and the creaking sound was insufferable. I was surprised that the building was still standing, and being inside of it made me nervous.

I did my job anyways, helping Shibuya set up some of the cameras while Lin set up some other things I didn't recognize. One thing looked like an electric level, but I wasn't sure. Shibuya didn't let me think on it long, directing me on how to move the cameras while he watched through monitors he set up as we unloaded. We set microphones and cameras up in almost every room.

"A little more to the left," Shibuya instructed as I set up the last camera we had brought. I nudged the big, bulky thing slightly to the left, which seemed to be to his liking. "That's the last one for today. We'll have to bring more equipment tomorrow." I nodded, even though he couldn't see me, and I retreated back to the base.

We hadn't brought any shelves, choosing instead to bring as many cameras, microphones, and monitors as we could. As a result, the monitors had to sit on an old wooden desk, and we prayed it didn't break under the weight. Tomorrow we would bring a desk to put the shelves on. For now we sat in old wooden chairs and watched the monitors.

We sat there in silence for a long while, watching the monitors like hawks. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore, and tried to make conversation. "How long have you two worked together?"

"A while," Shibuya stated with no intention to elaborate.

I tried again. "What made you decide to go into ghost hunting?"

"Reasons."

I sighed, and stared harder at the monitors if that was even possible. Finally I asked, "What kind of things are we looking and listening for?"

He gave me an exasperated glare. "Anything out of the ordinary. Temperature fluctuations, things moving on their own, banging, knocking, that kind of thing."

I nodded and decided to leave him alone. I wished I had a deck of cards to play solitaire with.

We watched, and waited, and watched, and waited. We heard a few sounds, but those were easily blamed on old building noises. I was so tired. I had to focus most of my energy on keeping my eyes open. Nothing was happening, and it was so quiet. Finally I slumped forward in my chair, leaning on the desk, and gave into sleep.

Before I was completely unconscious, I was vaguely aware of Shibuya almost waking me up and Lin stopping him. "Jet lag," I heard him whisper to Shibuya. "Let her sleep, nothing's happening anyways."

I thanked him mentally, and then sleep I did.

I woke up to Lin gently shaking my shoulder.

"It's time to go," Shibuya ordered. He was already in the doorway that led out to hallway that in turn led to the entrance. He left without another word.

I turned to Lin who was waiting for me to gather my bearings. "Did anything happen?" I asked him as I stood up.

Lin shook his head. Shibuya must think it was safe to go home since nothing happened.

We piled in the can, myself in the back again. A thought struck me then, as we pulled away. "Is it safe to leave all our equipment there? No one will steal it?"

"You're in Japan now," Shibuya informed me as though I didn't know. "This isn't America. Besides, no one will go in there. They think it's haunted. It should be safe."

"Okay," I agreed, satisfied with his answer.

"I went to the current school while you were sleeping." He glared at me through the rear view mirror. "I ran into some students talking about the old school building. It started when they found a child's body during the first attempt to demolish the building. A teacher also committed suicide. At one point the ceiling collapsed, injuring several workers. That was when they stopped the first demolition.

"Last year they attempted demolition again to make way for a new gymnasium. A group of volleyball players were at the old school building when a truck driver veered off the road and killed them. Due to their deaths, and rumors of a curse, they stopped the demolition again.

"I'm going back tomorrow to talk to them again. Hopefully I'll find out more. Lin, I would like you and Astley to do some of your own research tomorrow. Astley, try to stay awake."

Lin nodded and I grimaced. I didn't speak on it, though, instead correcting him, "You can me Wen, Shibuya." He only nodded, just like Lin had.

We stopped at the office to switch cars. It was already late, and I was glad that all we had to do was park and pile into Lin's car. It didn't take us long to do, and next thing I knew we were on our way home.

Once we reached our apartment I hazily opened the car door and followed them upstairs. I was so tired. We reached the third floor and although I wanted to head straight to bed, I went straight to the kitchen instead. There I warmed up leftover Mapo Tofu from the night before. We ate at the table, and, like the night before, Lin helped me clean up afterwards. I think we were all dead tired, because once we were done everyone said goodnight and went to bed.

Shibuya woke me up at 7:00 the next morning, and I took a quick shower. I sensed a pattern arising. It was easier to take a quick shower that morning, now that I felt more rested. I knew we wouldn't be around others today, so I dressed more casually. I opted for a short khaki skirt with a white button down t-shirt and white booties.

Lin and Shibuya wore the same outfits they wore the day prior. I hoped they were fresh clothes and not the same ones they had already worn. I knew they didn't have time to wash their clothes, unless one of them was a really early riser.

I didn't worry about it too much, as we made our way to Lin's car and then to the office. I was in the back seat again. I would feel like I was being chauffeured if it weren't for the tense atmosphere. Thanks to Lin and Shibuya's stern personalities it felt more like I was riding in the back of a police car.

We repeated more of the steps from the morning before, loading up the work van with more equipment. Again I made sure I didn't grab the heavy stuff. Once we had loaded up we went to the current school building to drop Shibuya off. He wanted to talk to the principal. I wasn't sure why, but I had a feeling it was to find out more about the students he talked to the day before and when he could talk to them that day.

Again, I didn't worry about it too much. Instead I jumped in the front seat next to Lin as he drove us to the old school building. It was within walking distance of the current school, so Shibuya would just walk back when he was done. In the meantime, Lin and I would set up the extra equipment we brought.

We pulled into the driveway of the old school building and I hopped out. We had made the plan that I would check on the equipment we had already brought while Lin started bringing in the new stuff. When I got to the door, however, I halted. "Lin, there's someone in there." Through the dirty glass of the window I could just make out someone leaning over the camera we had set up in the entrance. They were about to touch it when I threw open the door, startling them. "What are you doing?"

The person, who I could now make out as a young girl - a student - jumped in surprise. She bumped into one of the shoe racks which fell backwards, bumped into the one behind it, and bounced back until it was falling towards the poor girl.

"Watch out!" I ran forward, knocking her out of the way and unfortunately placing myself in the path of the falling shelf. It fell on top of me, knocking me over, and I heard a horrifying crunch. As the shock fell away I felt immense pain coming from my right leg. The leg which had taken the brunt of the shelf's weight. "Fuck me." Lin by that time had come running in and pushed past the wreckage to get to me. He lifted the shelf off of me and I moved out from under so he could put it back down. I winced, trying not to cry out in pain. "I think my leg is broken."

He glared at the girl and I felt bad for her, even though it was her fault I was in this mess. Or maybe it was my fault for startling her. It didn't really matter whose fault it was, though. All I knew was that it hurt like hell. Lin swept me up in his arms, glaring at her the whole time.

Suddenly someone entered, speaking in Japanese. Lin turned and I saw Shibuya standing in the doorway. "Wen, what happened?"

I filled him in. "I saw the girl in here looking at our equipment. I walked in and asked her what she was doing, startling her. She bumped into the shelves and I pushed her out of the way, but the shelf landed on me. I think it broke my leg."

He started talking to the girl in Japanese, and I was utterly lost. Suddenly she ran out screaming, confusing me even more. I raised an eyebrow but no one explained. Instead Shibuya opened the door for us, and Lin walked me to the car. He carefully set me in the back so my leg was draped over the seats. He climbed in the front seat.

"Lin, you heard the instructions on how to get to the hospital. When you're done come back. I'll help you get the equipment out of the back and you can take her home. For now I'll stay here and keep an eye on the footage."

Lin nodded and drove off, leaving Shibuya there. When we got to the hospital, a whole minute later, Lin ran in and told them the situation. They came out with a wheelchair and helped me load into it. It reminded me of my mom and I felt a sudden wave of homesickness.

"Are you okay?" one of the nurses asked in broken English.

I joked, "I mean, I'm here," and forced a smile. She looked at me funny but nodded, satisfied.

We weren't there long. I was right about my leg being broken. They got me in right away and set my leg, putting it in a cast and dismissing me to go. They never asked for an ID or other information, which surprised me. I wondered what Lin told them.

We went straight back to the old school house, and Lin went inside. I stayed in the back seat, closing my eyes and falling asleep.

I was on a crowded street, not doing anything in particular, when I saw him. Shibuya. Only I had a feeling that it wasn't him. And I remembered. This wasn't the first time I had dreamed of him, he had plagued my dreams my whole life. The last time I dreamed of him, he got hit by a car. That was the last time I saw him. He waved at me, breaking me from my thoughts, and smiled. He was a little older than the last time I saw him - Shibuya's age now. He had the same dark hair and purple eyes. But that smile… That wasn't Shibuya. I smiled back.

A door slammed, the back door of the van, and I woke up with a jolt. Shibuya opened the front passenger side door, grabbing something. I stared at him. That was why he looked familiar. He must have felt me staring because he teased, "I know I'm good looking but I'm a little young for you, aren't I?"

"Maybe I'm into the young ones," I teased back. He rolled his eyes but didn't say anything, instead shutting his door and walking back into the old wooden building.

Lin climbed into the van. "Can we listen to some music?" I asked him, leaning against the door. To my surprise he nodded, turning on some classical music. It fit him, I thought, and I didn't mind. I liked classical music. "Thank you." He nodded again, and I hummed softly to the music as I fell back asleep.

You need to help him, Wen, please. For me.


	3. Chapter 3

_**For those of you confused, I wasn't happy with chapter 2. I decided to flesh it out more, and while I'm still not 100% thrilled with it yet I like it a lot better. I split it into two chapters because it's a bit longer now. If you read chapter 2 before I changed it you probably don't need to read it again. My next chapter will probably be late but you can count on two chapters next week. Thank you for understanding! OH! And thank you for the reviews, it really helps me keep pushing forward. Thank you!**_

_**Love,**_

**_Uyay_**

**Bold = foreign language**

_**Bold italics = spirit talking**_

_Underlined italics_**_ = journal_**

**Chapter 3 ~ Evil Spirits All Over!? pt 2**

Before I knew it, we had switched cars and arrived at the apartment. Lin carried me in, setting me on the couch. He moved one of the chairs closer and set a bunch of pillows on it before propping my leg up on them. It was uncomfortable, but I knew it was the best for the pain and swelling.

He walked to the kitchen, leaving me there, and I heard the fridge open. Next I heard the microwave start and water running. What was he doing in there? The microwave beeped and I heard the sound of dining ware being shuffled about. Finally he emerged with a plastic tray in hand, which he placed on my lap. I held onto it and saw a microwave dinner and a cup of water. He had assumed - correctly - that I was hungry. I wondered if my stomach had growled in my sleep.

He sat down in the hair I wasn't using as a foot rest, eating his own dinner. I opened my own and dived in. It was noodles with shrimp and vegetables, which made me nervous. I never was a big seafood person. That being said, it was actually quite good. I drank my glass of water, and dazedly stared into space.

I must have been staring at Lin, because suddenly I felt him staring at me. His expression could easily been read as, 'What?' I blushed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to stare."

He shrugged and stood up, finished with his meal. He took my tray with my empty dish and cup, and walked to the kitchen. I could hear him take care of everything before he marched into Shibuya's room. He came back out with a leather bound journal, which he handed to me. I looked at him, confused.

"Kazuya thinks it might be good for you to write down what happened Tuesday into Wednesday." I was surprised, he never spoke this much, and he wasn't finished. "It might help us figure out what happened."

I nodded. I didn't really journal, in fact I hated it, but if it would help.

_So that's when I started journaling, Ma. When I was done with Tuesday and Wednesday, I told Lin. It didn't really reveal anything, I don't need Lin's input to know that much. I asked him if I could keep this journal, and he said yes. Here we are then. I'll keep you updated on things as they happen. For now I'm going to ask Lin to teach me Japanese. It's too quiet, maybe that will get him to open up some._

It probably took me several hours to write down all that had happened. I shifted in my seat and immediately cringed with regret as pain shot up my leg. Lin got up and grabbed something from the kitchen before returning. He had a glass of water and my pain meds. I happily took them and drank my water, smiling at him. "Hey Lin?"

He sat down and looked at me as though to say, 'Go on.'

"Do you think you could teach me Japanese? I'd like to be able to understand what's going on around me without a translator."

He stared at me for a moment before telling me something in Japanese.

"What?"

He said it again, and I repeated it a few times before he was satisfied. "That means, 'Yes.'" He said something else, and again I repeated him until he was happy with my pronunciation. "That means 'Hello.' You can also say," he went on, teaching me different words for hello, goodbye, and how are you. We focused on those three things as well as replies until I felt fairly confident in what I had learned. "**Hello Wen. How are you?**" he asked me in Japanese.

"**Hello Lin. I am well. How are you?**" He smiled at me and I beamed back at him, proud of myself.

"There's some other things you should know. For example, in Japan we call people by their last names until we're on more familiar terms with them."

"So Lin is your last name? And then Shibuya is… well Shibuya's last name?"

"**Yes.** We also use honorifics, or titles at the end of people's names. **San**, for example, is the equivalent of Mr. or Mrs. You can probably get away without using honorifics because you're American, but you should try to use **san **for clients."

"Okay." I nodded and smiled at him. "Thank you, Lin." I had gotten used to him talking more, I think it was just because he was in teacher mode, but it was nice. I liked his voice, and I appreciated him taking the time to teach me. He was so patient.

He said something in Japanese. I raised an eyebrow. "That is how you say 'Thank you.' And," he said something else, "is how you say 'You're welcome.'"

"**Thank you, Lin,**" I repeated. He smiled at me. He had a nice smile.

He grabbed his phone from his pocket, dialing a number and talking to whoever picked up in Japanese. I caught, "**Hello,**" and after a few moments, "**Lin.**" When he was done he hung up and slid his phone back in his pocket. He looked at me and filled me in, "I ordered us pizza. It should be here in 20."

"Ooooh." I felt myself drool and swallowed it quickly. "**Thank you!**"

"**You're welcome.**"

After that we went over words for different rooms so I could ask things like, 'Where's the bathroom?' or, 'Where's the kitchen?' Lin informed me that now that Shibuya knew I could cook, I would probably be cooking a lot more. After my leg healed, that was. I wondered if Lin and Shibuya couldn't cook. "We often forget to eat," he admitted. I supposed they wanted me to feed them because I would actually remember.

Suddenly his phone went off. He looked at it and I guessed, "Time to pick Shibuya up?"

He nodded. "**Yes.** **Are you okay?** Can I leave you for an hour or so?"

"**Yes. Can you help me to my bedroom?**"

He swept me up and took me to my bedroom, setting me on the bed. "Do you want me to grab you pajamas?"

I nodded. "The second to top drawer." He grabbed me a pair of pajama shorts and a tank top, placing them on the bed next to me. "I should be able to get changed by myself." I blushed.

"Okay. **Goodnight Wen.**"

I smiled at him. "**Goodnight Lin.**"

Once he left I managed to change into my pajamas - not without pain, but it wasn't unbearable. I slid under the covers and grabbed my journal. I could still see from the light outside my room.

_It's time for bed now, Ma. I promise I'll write you tomorrow._

_**Goodnight **__(Goodnight), I love you,_

_Wen_

The next day no one woke me up. It felt strange, sleeping in until I woke up on my own. It was 10 by the time I awoke, later than I had slept in years. I probably could have slept more, too.

"Lin?" I called out, sure he had come back from driving Shibuya to the old school building. He came in, dressed in a white t-shirt and black jeans. I, personally, had decided to stay in my pajamas.

"Ready to get up?"

"**Yes, please.**"

He smiled at me, proud of my quick learning. He picked me up and carried me to the sofa, setting me up like he had the other day. "How's that?"

"Good, **thank you.**" He sat down in the same chair he did before, and I decided to take advantage of the fact that he was talking to me now. He seemed to have opened up after talking to me so much yesterday, even if it was only in the fact that he was talking to me. "Did I miss anything after Shibuya got home last night?"

Lin shook his head. "Nothing happened at the school. He did hire the girl who hurt you, though, at least temporarily as our replacement. Her name is Taniyama Mai."

I sensed his disapproval. "It's not really her fault I got hurt," I decided, more for her sake than for mine. I couldn't imagine it was good to have Lin against you. "I startled her, and I decided to push her out of the way. It's my fault I got hurt."

"She shouldn't have been in there," was all he said. I fought back a sigh and gave up, not that I tried that hard in the first place.

"How is Shibuya doing working with her? He didn't seem too happy when he saw what happened."

"He says she's very hyper, and not very good at her new job." I frowned. I wondered what he thought of my work. "What is it?" I must have looked as concerned as I felt.

"I wonder what impression I made the first day I was with you two, is all."

"You shouldn't care that much, he's only 16."

I bit my cheek. I never said it was Shibuya's opinion that mattered to me. I mean it did, as he was my boss, but I wondered what Lin thought, too. "He's my boss."

Lin gave me a look. "He was impressed."

I wondered if Lin was impressed, too, but I didn't think about it too long. "What are we learning today?"

"I was thinking numbers and colors. Those are pretty basic." I nodded, and he started saying something in Japanese. Then he said it again, one word at a time so I could repeat them. "That's one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten. **One** is one," he went through all the numbers. "I want you to repeat me in Japanese and then say the number I said. **One**."

"**One,** one," I repeated after him and translated. He nodded, and we went over one through ten.

After we had done this a few times he switched things up on me. "I'm going to say a list of numbers and I want you to copy me the way you have been. **Three, six, five, eight, seven, two, nine, one, ten, four.**"

It was hard going out of order, and I stumbled. "**Three, **three; **six,** six; **five, **eight; **eight, **five**, seven, **nine; **two, **seven; **nine, **two; **one, **one; **ten, **ten; **four, **four."

"You got half of them right." He corrected me, and I flushed in embarrassment and disappointment. He comforted me, "It's better than I did my first time learning Japanese."

That surprised me, I guess I had figured he'd always lived in Japan. That made sense though, he looked Chinese. "You're Chinese, right?" I asked him to confirm.

"That's right, I lived there until early adulthood. And you're American, but you look Chinese as well."

"I'm half Chinese," I informed him. "My mother is full blooded Chinese. Her parents came here from China. My father was American, though, and I grew up in America."

He nodded. "Do you know any Chinese?"

I frowned. "I did a long time ago. But my grandparents died when I was little and after that no one wanted to speak Chinese, so I forgot a lot of it. Maybe you can teach me when you're done teaching me Japanese, if Japanese doesn't take the whole year."

"Sure." He smiled at me, and I was grateful he seemed more comfortable around me. "Let's get you comfortable with Japanese numbers."

I nodded and we continued, this time going slower until I could repeat without messing up. We went all the way to one hundred, which was easier once you had one through ten down. Once again he was extra patient with me, smiling when I got something right and gently correcting me where I was wrong. "You're an excellent teacher, Lin. **Thank you** for teaching me."

He smiled at me again, "**You're welcome,**" and left to go make lunch. He came back with the same kind of frozen dinner we ate before, and I wondered if that was all they would eat. If so, I was glad I wasn't the only picky eater.

We went over numbers again when I was done, and we went over them all day including questions we could ask that involved numbers. "**How old are you, Lin?**" I asked.

"**Twenty seven.** **How old are you?**"

"**Twenty.**"

He nodded and looked at his phone. "I have to pick Kazuya up now." I made a mental note that Lin felt comfortable using Shibuya's first name, while Shibuya used Lin's last. I wondered what Lin's first name was.

I decided to stay awake this time, curious to hear what happened today from Shibuya himself.

About an hour later I was sleeping on the couch when I heard the door open. I jolted upright and looked to see Shibuya and Lin entering the apartment. "**Hey,**" came my groggy voice.

Shibuya looked surprised, I forgot he didn't know I was learning Japanese. "**Hello Wen,**" he replied.

"How did today go?"

"It went." Well, he was as talkative as ever. He went straight to his room, and soon I heard snores.

Lin sat down next to me. "His pride is wounded, don't take offense."

I smiled at him. "I won't. Why is his pride wounded?"

"The principal called in reinforcements, scares SPR is just a scam being run by a little boy."

"Oh. Who all did he call in?"

"A priestess, a priest, a monk, and a T.V. psychic. There's also another student hanging around that claims to be Psychic. The priest is the only one willing to work with him. The priestess is going to do a cleansing tomorrow morning."

I sighed. "Poor Shibuya. I can't imagine him working well with others, either."

He gave me a look and I bit my tongue. I don't think I was supposed to say that. "You'd be surprised."

I nodded and blushed. Should have kept my mouth shut, oops.

"Do you want me to take you to bed?" he offered. I nodded and this time he even tucked me in, much to my chagrin.

The next day was much the same, only I woke up at 9 instead of 10. Lin informed me that he had dropped of Shibuya at the office. He wanted to take himself to the school using the van as he felt he was close to solving the case and might want to spend the night.

That day I asked Lin to take me to the store. I could use my crutches to get around. He agreed, although hesitantly. I don't think he wanted me walking yet. We went to the same store we went to to get ingredients for the Mapo Tofu. This time I didn't have a recipe in mind, so I just grabbed what I thought I could use.

We walked up and down the isles. Lin would point something out and tell me the name, and I would repeat him. So far '**Egg,**' (Egg) was my favorite to say. I had him grab a few '**eggs,**' and some '**milk,**' or milk. I also had him grab bread, rice, some shrimp, pork, and tofu, as well as some noodles, including ramen. I had him pick out some foods also, as he knew dishes I didn't. I would happily try cooking something new. We picked out a lot of vegetables, and some fruits. I was excited to try some new things.

We paid and went home, Lin turning on some classical music as we drove. When we got home it was time for lunch. We made up the last of the frozen dinners while we put groceries away. Or, well, while Lin put groceries away. I stood there and watched until he insisted I sit down. Eventually he came and sat with me, eating his own dinner while I ate mine. We sat in silence, which normally would have bothered my chatty self, but for once it was nice. I felt comfortable.

When we were done eating, Lin called Shibuya. "Hey Kazuya. Have you decided what you're doing tonight? Okay. Yeah we'll be fine. She's doing good, we went shopping today." I was surprised, Shibuya asked about me? "No she didn't injure her leg further. She should be able to return to work in the same amount of time." Oh, of course he was asking for work's sake. "She'll enjoy that. She won't get a big head. Kazuya she's fine. Okay. Bye." He looked at me, a smirk on his face. "He's spending the night there tonight. You might have been right about the structural integrity," he informed me. "Kazuya thinks that is the cause of everything."

I smirked back and fist pumped. Who had called it? This girl!

We were wrong, however. There were two accidents the next day, one of them leaving Taniyama unconscious. Shibuya felt responsible, and kicked into overdrive. He did some more digging into the student who claimed to be psychic, and returned to school the next day to set up an experiment. No one told me what the experiment was, but I was sure I would find out eventually. He came home that night and asked us to return to the school with him early the next morning. Thankfully I could use crutches to get around, so my leg wasn't an issue.

The next morning Shibuya woke me up at 5, supposedly to give me more time to shower. I hadn't showered since my leg. I very carefully took one and changed into a flowy black skirt and a white blouse. I wore some black flats.

Lin held the door open for me and helped me into the car. My ma would like him, he was a true gentleman. Shibuya however just barged past me and into his seat. Shibuya had driven the van home as we had the car, so we drove straight to the high school. We got there by 6.

Shibuya started going over what he had done the night before. "I believe this is a poltergeist caused by a girl with latent psychic abilities. In addition to the land settling beneath this building, I believe that she is the cause of all of this. I do not believe she is aware of what she is doing.

"Last night I had Mai and John-" John? That's an English name. "- post up boards with their name signed on them around one classroom. In that classroom is a chair in a chalk circle. I planted the seed in everyone's mind that the chair was going to move. If it has, and no one has tampered with the wood boards, I know my theory is right." I didn't know how he could prove it wasn't the land subsidence, but I didn't say anything. "Mai, what are you doing here?" he asked gruffly. I looked up to see the young girl from earlier.

She spouted some stuff off in Japanese and pouted after Shibuya, who she called Naru, replied. Then she turned to me. "**I am so sorry,**" I caught before she continued ranting in Japanese that I couldn't understand.

I wasn't sure how to convey that I was alright so instead I grabbed her hands and told her, "**I am well. I am Wen Astley. It's nice to meet you.**"

She blushed. "**I'm Taniyama Mai. Thank you.**"

Suddenly there were feet behind us. I turned to see a horde of people approaching. One was a tall lady with long red hair and a haughty face. Another was a man with long brown hair. His face was kind, as was the baby faced boy with blond hair's. There was a classic looking Japanese girl with short black hair and a fancy kimono on. Lastly there was a girl with a long skirt and a sweater on with braided pigtails and glasses. I had a feeling she was the one Shibuya was talking about. They all looked surprised to see us.

I approached the blond. "Are you John?" I asked in English. I was excited at the prospect of another person to talk to. As much as I enjoyed talking to Lin, I was a social person.

"Yes!" He seemed surprised that I spoke English. "John Brown at your service." His Australian accent was cute.

"I'm Wen Astley. I'm from America," I explained. "Shibuya was explaining what you and Mai did yesterday. I was hoping, when I heard your name, that you spoke English. I don't speak Japanese very well."

"Well, you're in luck, mate. It will be nice having another person to speak English with."

I nodded in agreement.

Shibuya caught our attention by clearing his throat. "When you two are done slacking off." I scowled, but shut up.

Shibuya led us upstairs to the room he was describing to Lin and me. He asked Taniyama and John some questions to which they replied affirmative. He pulled a camera seemingly out of nowhere. I looked at Lin and realized he was recording everything. I looked back at Shibuya.

Whack! He dug the crowbar into the wood panels and pulled them off the door before leading us through. Inside everyone gasped minus the three of us - Lin, Shibuya, and me. The chair, once in the chalk circle on the floor, was now tipped over behind it. People started asking questions and Shibuya lead us to the base. There he played back the video of the chair moving.

More gasps. Shibuya seemed to explain something and everyone turned to look at the girl with pigtails. The poor girl looked close to tears.

Lin leaned over to whisper in my ear. "That's Karoda. She's a latent psychic and the one who caused all of this. She has been claiming to be a psychic for a long time to get attention, and when Shibuya started discovering it wasn't a haunting she felt threatened. As a result her subconscious lashed out what appeared to be the form of a poltergeist." Shibuya kept talking, and the traditional girl spoke up. "He's going to lie to the principal to spare her further embarrassment." Suddenly everyone nodded. "They're all going to take credit for the exorcism."

I nodded. "Thank you."

Everyone seemed satisfied with that. They left shortly after and we packed up the equipment. Well, Lin and Shibuya packed, I watched. Mai tried to help - I think she was sad everything was over - but Shibuya shooed her off. Poor girl, I could tell she had a crush on him. It was in her eyes.

The rest of the day was quiet, but the next day we were shocked to hear that the old school building collapsed. Well, perhaps shocked wasn't the right word. We knew the building could collapse at any time. We were just grateful that we had made it out before it came down.

Shibuya called Taniyama at school to pay her and offered her a job. He had found out from the principle that she was an orphan. I didn't understand what that had to do with anything. Mai didn't need his pity. Although, I supposed she could use the pay from this job to help support herself. Apparently she was living on her own - I didn't understand how that worked, but okay. It was nice of Shibuya to think of that.

_That's where I'm at now, Ma. I promise to keep you updated._

_I love and miss you,_

_Wen_

I took the leather cord bookmark and marked my page before calling it a day.


	4. Chapter 4

**Bold = foreign language**

_**Bold italics = spirit talking**_

_Underlined italics_**_ = journal_**

**Chapter 4 ~ Dear Ma**

_April 16th, 2018_

_Dear Ma,_

_I'm sorry I haven't written the last few days, nothing much has happened._

_Today Lin started teaching me the vocabulary from paperwork. He also started teaching me about different ghosts and their vocabulary._

I was sitting next to Lin at his desk. He was pointing out words on a document in front of me. "This means poltergeist. It's pronounced," he said the word out loud.

I tested it out until I was comfortable with it. "**Poltergeist.**" He nodded at me and smiled. "What is a **poltergeist**? That's what the last case was, right?"

"**Yes. **Poltergeist is German for noisy ghost. A **poltergeist** can move and destroy objects. They can hurt people." I grimaced. I was glad no one got seriously hurt by the poltergeist in the last case. "Some **poltergeists **can be caused by mediums with PK, or psychokinesis. That's **psychokinesis **in Japanese. It's also known as **telekinesis **or telekinesis. It is the ability to interact with things using your mind."

"Karoda was under a lot of stress, that's why she caused the **poltergeist, **right? Is that usually the case when a human is involved?"

"**Yes.** Most reported cases of humans involved with **poltergeist** activity are adolescent girls under great deals of stress.

"There are **nine **signs of a **poltergeist**. Things disappearing and reappearing, objects levitating or moving on their own, bad odors, electrical interference, broken things starting to work, knocking and rapping, hearing voices or receiving messages, animals being afraid, and physical attacks. The last case showed three of those signs: knocking sounds, electrical interference, and things moving on their own. For a haunting, that's a bigger deal than it sounds like. Kazuya could explain it with seismic activity and Karoda playing tricks, but his last experiment proved it was Karoda's PK acting out as a **poltergeist**."

"Okay, **thank you **for teaching me Lin."

He smiled at me. "**You're welcome.**"

_I've learned a lot of Japanese going through paperwork with Lin, but I'm not sure how well that will help me with normal conversation. Hopefully we'll work on that soon. I'm beginning to think Lin and Naru are workaholics. Still, Lin seems to enjoy teaching me. And he appreciates me helping him with paperwork. There are some files he won't let me see, though. I wonder why._

_I've been cooking a lot for the boys, and I always make extra to give to Mai. She told me to call her Mai the first time I called her Taniyama to her face. She seems to really like my cooking, they all do. I have you to thank for that. Thank you for teaching me how to cook!_

_I've also been introduced to Mai's friends who helped on the last case. I'm not sure all of them would admit to being her friend, but I can tell they all like her. Except maybe Masako (the one in the kimono), she likes Naru, too. Oh yeah! Mai calls Naru Naru as a shortening of narcissist. That made me laugh when she explained. Everyone has adopted the nickname, except Lin._

_Back to Mai's friends. Matsuzaki Ayako, who told me to call her Ayako, is the redhead with brown eyes. She seems mature, but she's only 22. That's younger than Lin, who's 27! And Mai's 15. OH! Her birthday is the third of July, don't let me forget. Anyways, then there's Bou-san who's real name is Takigawa Houshou. You already know about John, so that's everyone._

_I should get back to work._

_I love you, Ma,_

_Wen_

_April 23rd, 2018_

_Dear Ma,_

_I'm sorry it's been a bit. I've been buried in work. For an office that doesn't do a lot of cases, we sure have a lot of paperwork!_

_Lin has been teaching me writing, now, by having me fill out paperwork. He also asked me out to dinner today, to help me with real life experience. This way I can learn foods and how to order them. I appreciate Lin a lot, Ma. He's been so good to me. I think I could even call him a friend and with as distant as he is, I'm not sure that's something many people can say. Maybe I'm wrong, though._

_He's still really cold to Mai, the poor girl. I want to keep telling him that it's not her fault I was hurt, but at this point I'm not sure that's why he's treating her that way._

_My leg is better, by the way. It's not fully healed, it will take over a month before it is, but the pain is better most days. I'm getting used to crutches, too. Lin still carries me sometimes, though. Usually when I overexert myself._

_I have to go, we're leaving for dinner. I'll let you know how it goes when I get back._

We went to a cute little Japanese restaurant, family owned. Our server showed us to a table and asked us something.

"What do you want to drink?" Lin translated for me.

"Water is fine."

"That would be, '**Water, please**."

I copied him and he repeated the same thing for himself. The server looked impatient, and I knew it was going to be a long night.

I sat awkwardly with my menu held out in front of me. "I don't understand any of this," I confessed.

He gave his menu a good look before turning it around so it was facing me. "This is **ramen**." He pointed to a word and repeated it in English for me.

"**Ra-**" I stumbled.

"**Ramen**."

"**Ramen**." I repeated. He nodded and I gave a proud smile.

He was going through the menu with me - reading each item and their description - when the server came back. He looked between the two of us and sighed, saying something in Japanese. All I caught was 'American,' but it sounded derogatory. Lin suddenly looked very angry, and it sounded like he was arguing with the waiter.

A man showed up and I could tell he was trying to be a mediator. Lin calmed down but the server was still clearly riled up. Lin explained what was happening to the new man, or at least that's what I assumed he was doing. The man turned to the server and spoke to him. Finally the server, red face, turned and walked away. The man called out and a young girl rushed over. She smiled at Lin and me and said something before walking away.

"Lin? What just happened?"

"The boy called you a filthy American."

"You stood up for me?"

"You couldn't exactly stand up for yourself."

I blushed, embarrassed. "**Thank you.**"

He continued to explain, "The man who came was the owner, he replaced our server. That was the girl. She told us, '**Take your time**,' which means, 'Take your time.'"

"**Thank **god. I'm so lost," I gave a nervous laugh.

He smiled at me, calming me, and went on teaching me the menu.

By the time our new server arrived, I was ready to order. "**I'll have the donburi,**" I ordered with Lin's help.

She said something and Lin looked at me with pride. "She complimented you on your Japanese." I blushed. "**I'll have the miso soup**," he ordered.

_Afterwards I wanted to tip them (Naru paid me), but Lin told me that it's rude to tip in Japan. Actually it's rude to tip in almost every country except America. I wonder if he travels a lot and that's he knows it. Or he's just really smart and informed, I could see that too._

_Anyways, it's late. It's weird thinking it's still early in the day for you. Another me is taking care of you right now, making sure you're eating and drinking. I never thought I could be jealous of myself. ANYWAYS! It's late and I need to get some sleep before work tomorrow._

_**Goodnight, **__Ma. I love you,_

_Wen_

_May 5th, 2018_

_Dear Ma,_

_It's been a while, I'm sorry. I really am awful at this journaling thing. I saw you sitting in a drawer, though, and thought I better fill you in. _

_I think I told you this already, but Lin has started taking me out to dinner. He's teaching me restaurant talk. I can now order food, and the food is amazing. We went to a ramen place and it was the best ramen I've ever had. Granted I don't eat that much ramen. We brought Naru with us, but he doesn't have the patience to listen to Lin and I. I thought maybe he might help, but all he did was make fun of me for being slow and struggling with mispronouncing words. __**Please**__was a hard one for me to learn in particular, even though that was something we had started with. I need to say please more often._

_We haven't gone on another case, yet, but the gang has come by a lot to ask for advice. We also get a lot of potential clients that come through, Naru just doesn't take their case. I wonder how we stay afloat, the cases he does take must pay a lot. He might charge for consultations, too._

A young woman came in. She looked dreadful, with big bags under her eyes and her hair tousled. The woman introduced herself as Amari Mayu. Mai welcomed her and put some tea on. Amari-san sat down on the sofa, and Lin and Naru sat in the chairs across from her. I stood next to Lin so he could translate for me.

Mai returned, handing tea to everyone. She sat down on the sofa opposite of Amari-san.

Naru asked something, and Lin leaned closer to me. "'What brings you in, Amari-san?'" he whispered his translation. Amari-san started to explain, and Lin continued to translate for me. "'I think I'm being possessed. I've been blacking out and, from what others have said, behaving strangely.'

"'Strangely how?'" That was Naru.

Amari-san replied, "'I've been talking in different voices and acting unlike myself. Sometimes I'm rude and brash, other times I'm sickly sweet. There are even times when I act and talk like a small child. I've apparently hit on boys, and I'm happily married. I'm scared, Shibuya-san. This is ruining my marriage along with other relationships, and I can hardly work.'"

I looked at Naru. "Shibuya," I didn't dare call him Naru in front of a client, "if it were a possession wouldn't it be constant? And why is it multiple personalities?"

Naru looked like he was thinking, and Amari-san looked confused. Finally he spoke to Amari-san and Lin translated for me again. "'Does this happen in one specific place?'

"'No, it happens everywhere.'

"'Does it seem to happen when you're upset?'"

She thought for a minute. "'Yes, now that I think about." I wondered where Naru was going with this.

"'Did you have any childhood trauma?'"

She hesitated and looked down. I could tell it was a sore subject. Suddenly I was glad for Mia's tea, as Amari-san took a sip. Mai's tea was amazing, and I normally hated tea. Whenever I made tea it tasted awful. Mai wondered if I scorched it.

"'Yes,'" Amari-san finally answered.

"'I won't be taking your case.'" Amari-san started to cry. Mai wrapped her arms around the young woman, looking absolutely pissed. Before she could say anything, though, Naru continued. "'Have you ever heard of dissociative identity disorder?'" Suddenly his questions made sense. Amari-san shook her head. "'It occurs when someone goes through great trauma growing up. Their psyche splits into different identities as ways to protect itself. They black out as other personalities surface. Each personality plays a different role.'" Amari-san nodded as his explanation went on. "'I suggest you see a therapist. It is my belief that you are suffering from dissent personality disorder, not possession.'"

_Amari-san was very grateful and said she would see a doctor right away. Mai seemed to calm down after that. I was really impressed by Naru, He's rather smart for his age._

_I have to go now, Naru is starving and I'm in charge of feeding him. I'll talk to you later, although if I'm honest, it might not be for a while._

_Love,_

_Wen_

_May 28th, 2018_

_Dear Ma,_

_Today John asked me out to lunch. No, not as a date. He's a priest. He said he had been praying for me, and we started talking about religion. I told him that we didn't really practice any religion, even though Father practiced Christianity. He didn't push, but he did ask why we didn't practice any religion._

_I told him we never really learned any religion, and Father introduced us to his. I told John that I used to be a christian, but that I didn't like God. I don't like God, Ma. He's cruel. Making us live just to die, punishing us all just for our ancestors' mistake. I don't understand. John seemed to know where I was coming from. He told me if I ever wanted to talk about it, he was open. He's really sweet, Ma. You would like him._

_He also asked for my help on a case. A friend's wife has been behaving strangely. She wouldn't talk, and normally she was extremely talkative. She disappears at all hours of the day, and returns hours later with bruises and cuts. John wonders if she's possessed, and wants a woman's touch to help bring her back while he exorcises her, or discover what's really wrong if it isn't a possession. At least, that's what he claims. I had a feeling he just knew how miserable I was at the office with nothing to do. I appreciate him thinking of me. _

_When we got back, I asked Naru if I could help John. We would leave tomorrow. Naru gave me permission! I also noticed that Lin seemed upset. I wondered why. He asked me out to dinner and for some reason I feel this one was more significant than the others._

We went to a cosy place called American House. Lin thought I might enjoy it since it had been a while since I had American Cuisine. I appreciated his thoughtfulness as we sat down at a booth.

"What can I get for you tonight?" I looked at our waiter, surprised. He had spoken in English.

"What would you like?" Lin asked me.

"Oh, um, just water, please."

The waiter nodded and scribbled on his notepad. "And for you, sir?"

Lin gave his menu a glance. "Coffee, please."

"I'll have those for you shortly. And are you ready to order?"

The hostess had shown us to our seats and given us our menus. The waiter had taken a moment to arrive at our table, giving us time to look the menu over.

Lin looked at me. "We're ready. I'll have the mac and cheeseburger."

The waiter nodded and scribbled on his pad before turning to Lin.

"I'll have the bacon cheeseburger. And may we add a blooming onion to that as well?"

I smiled, he must have caught me eyeing that. The waiter nodded and scurried off. My smile turned to a confused frown as I eyed Lin. "We're speaking English."

"You've been working hard on your Japanese, you deserve a break."

This only served to confuse me more. Lin had never taken me out to dinner for any reason other than practice. What reason did he have now? Why didn't we bring Naru if it was practice? I supposed maybe Naru hadn't wanted to come. Still, I felt this dinner was special somehow; that it had a meaning only Lin knew, and that only Lin would ever know.

Lin gave me a long look. "What are you thinking?"

I shook my head and suddenly the thoughts were gone. "I don't know."

His look intensified with worry but he let it go. "How did your lunch with John go?"

I raised an eyebrow. Lin had already asked me that. "It went well. He asked for my help with a case of his." Lin nodded, stoic as ever. I frowned. There was no way he was jealous, was there? "Lin, were you alright with me going to lunch with John?" Maybe he knew something I didn't know about the young man.

"Of course," he quickly defended. "I just worry about you is all, being in the situation you are."

Of course, that made sense. Naru wanted to keep my predicament from the rest of the group. I wasn't sure why but I was sure he had his reasons. Lin must have been worried I might have accidentally slipped up about what happened to me. I hadn't, but it was something I had to constantly remind myself not to do.

Our food arrived not much later, and we happily talked for hours as we ate and on the ride home.

_I should go to bed, I'm meeting John at the bus stop early tomorrow._

_Goodnight, Ma, I love you,_

_Wen_

_June 10th, 2018_

_Dear Ma,_

_Sorry I never got back to you about the case. It was very eventful. John's friend, Gima Aina, was possessed. She disappeared at all hours of the day and returned with bruises and scratches all over. John (and subsequently I) was asked to come help free her._

"**What's your name?**" I asked the ghost possessing Gima.

Gima - or the ghost - looked at me, annoyed. "**Arima Megumi.**"

"**Alright, Arima Megumi, why are you possessing our friend?**"

"**She pushed me over the rail of the bridge. She killed me!**"

I had a hard time believing any friend of John's would murder someone. "**You must be mistaken. Gima-san wouldn't hurt anyone.**"

"**You must be mistaken!**" Arima growled.

Suddenly the lights flickered off and I felt overcome with anger.

"_**That woman isn't some 'Gima.' Their name is Erika. She is, or was, my best friend.**_"

Great. Arima possessed me. I was vaguely aware of John chanting in the background.

"_**What happened?**_"

Suddenly I was on a bridge with Gima. Or was it? She had similar long dark hair and glassy blue eyes but something was different. She wasn't as filled out as Gima, and her hair had more shine. The copy of Gima, who I assumed was Erika. She was fighting with me, and I was fighting back.

"_**He's mine! He likes me, not you!**_" I was shouting. Apparently we were fighting over a guy.

Erika turned and looked me dead in the eyes. She stepped towards me and I took a step back. This continued until my back was pressed against the guardrail that prevented pedestrians from falling over the edge of the bridge. "_**You listen to me, Arima. Daisuke only pretends to like you because he feels bad for you.**_" She started shoving me, and my back was bent over the rail. "_**He **_**loves **_**me. Not you.**_" She gave me a harder shove and I fell. Her eyes widened and she reached out for my arms, grabbing at me and scratching me in the process. "_**Arima!**_" I slipped through her grasp.

"_**She killed me!**_" Arima hissed as my vision returned to normal. John was pressing his cross against my forehead. It stung.

"_**It was an accident. She was your best friend, she didn't mean for any of this to happen. Why else would she try to save you.**_" Arima didn't respond. "_**This woman isn't Erika, her name is Gima. She just looks like Erika. Once you look closer you can see that. It's time to move on, Arima. You're hurting people, and doing that hurts you in the process. Don't you want to let go? You're carrying such a heavy burden by possessing this woman.**_"

Arima stayed quiet for a long moment while john chanted some more. He was about to splash some holy water when suddenly there was a bright light. I felt myself collapse as everything went dark.

_I woke up a few hours later, to Lin leaning over me, checking my vitals. He looked worried, until I smiled at him and said, "__**Hi**__."_

_When I thanked John for asking me to help he brushed it off and said I did all the work anyways. He also informed me that I spoke perfect Japanese while I was talking to Arima. That's pretty cool if I do say so myself._

_Ayako's birthday was yesterday. She's 23 but doesn't look a day older, contrary to what Bou-san said. Those two need to get together already, they clearly have a thing for each other. Anyways. I got Ayako a new purse for her birthday. It's burgundy leather and large, with short straps that adjust. It even has little feet on the bottom. I was very grateful that Naru paid me enough I could afford it. He paid me 1000¥ per hour, or $9.25. That might not seem like much but I'm working full time and not really paying for anything. Although, I have been contributing a little to rent. Because I cook they don't charge for groceries. I'm very grateful to them._

_Lin just popped his head in to say __**goodnight, sleep well**__. He's been doing that lately, I think to keep my memory of the words fresh. It's a sweet gesture, anyways. He must be going to bed, though. I probably should too._

_**Goodnight, **__Ma, I love you,_

_Wen_


End file.
